GP Clinical Academic Fellowships
2007...
General Information
The Clinical Academic Fellowships
Programme is a national initiative offering entry-level specialist
training to those who have Foundation competences in medicine and can
demonstrate that they have outstanding potential for development as a
clinical academic. We anticipate that 8 national Academic Training
Fellowships in General Practice will be offered in 2007 so the awards
are highly competitive.
The Fellowships provide 4 years training, of which
about 75% is clinical and 25% academic. At the completion of training
the trainee will be eligible for accreditation as a general
practitioner and will be expected to have passed the membership
examination for the Royal College of General Practitioners. They will
also be in a position to apply for admission to a higher level
academic training programme leading to the award of a higher degree.
Fellowships in General Practice will be offered in
five Deaneries in 2007 in association with the Universities of Bristol
and Southampton
(Severn
and Wessex), Cambridge (Eastern),
Keele (West Midlands),
Oxford (Oxford), and
Manchester (North-Western).
The academic programmes offered in each Deanery are described in more
detail below.
In addition to the Academic
Fellowships in General Practice, the London Deanery is offering a
specific Fellowship which provides academic training in Primary Care
Mental Health research in parallel with GP vocational training.
Details of this Fellowship are listed below under the London
Deanery. The application and initial short-listing process will be
similar to the General Practice Fellowships in other deaneries,
although interview dates have yet to be decided and there will be no
clearing interviews.
The person specification for entry is common to all
Deaneries and can be found on the MTAS website
(www.mtas.nhs.uk)
through which all applications must be made by completing both the
standard GP training application and the additional academic
training form. Those making an unsuccessful application for academic
training will still be considered for a standard GP specialty training
programme. General guidance on making applications for general
practice training is given at
www.gprecruitment.org.uk.
Selection process and Interview dates
The first round of academic
interviews for Clinical Academic Fellowships will take place on
March 12th (Keele), March 13th (Cambridge and Southampton)
or 14th (Bristol, Manchester, Oxford). You will be notified by e-mail around March 6th
whether you have been short-listed for an academic interview. Your
place of interview will depend on the Deanery to which your
application is directed by the National Recruitment Office. This
depends on your expressed preference and your performance at the
initial assessment which all applicants for GP training will take in
February (the higher your score the more likely you are to be
allocated to the Deanery of your first choice).
Candidates who do not receive a provisional offer
of a Fellowship as a result of this first interview may be invited to
a "clearing" interview for a Fellowship in another Deanery. These
clearing interviews will all be held in London on March 23rd.
The academic interview will also assess suitability
for clinical training and clinical training posts will be
provisionally reserved for applicants recommended for a Fellowship.
Nevertheless, all applicants for GP training will be asked to attend
for selection centre at their allocated Deanery between March 19th
and April 6th. This will allow applicants who have not been
offered Fellowships to compete for a standard GP specialty training
programme rotation and those provisionally offered Fellowships to
confirm their suitability for GP specialty training.
London Deanery (1 post)
The London Deanery and the Department of Primary Care and
Population Sciences (PCPS) at Royal Free & University College Medical
School are pleased to offer the first and only Academic Clinical
Fellowship (ACF) in England to provide specialist vocational training
in General Practice combined with academic training specifically in
Primary Care Mental Health research. The post commences in August 2007
and is for four years.
Applications are invited for this ACF which will be fully
integrated into the London Deanery general practice training programme
(Royal Free Scheme). Academic training in the first two years will be
designed to fit in with the Fellow’s standard hospital rotations (i.e
four posts of 6 months each, one of which will be in psychiatry).
Research training will be through modular distance learning courses in
Epidemiology and Statistics at the London School of Hygiene or in
Primary Care Research methods at UCL. Trainees will also be encouraged
to undertake a research project based on clinical work in one or more
of their hospital posts (psychiatry, GU Medicine, paediatrics and
elderly medicine).
During years 3 and 4 Fellows will pursue an extended GP Registrar
post in one of the training practices within the network of PCPS
University Linked Practices. These practices are approved for
postgraduate training and are actively engaged in research and
educational activities. The trainees will, over these two years,
develop their clinical competences as general practitioners while
gaining an in-depth exposure to academic primary care as they divide
their time 60% clinical and 40% academic in year 3; and 40% clinical,
60% academic in year 4. Their academic focus during these years will
be to advance their research expertise with support from their mentor
and other relevant PCPS senior staff chosen with the aim of developing
an application for a competitive, externally funded research
fellowship award on a topic chosen from the spectrum of mental health
research taking place within the department. Training in teaching will
also be provided by UCL’s Academic Centre for Medical Education.
Each Fellow will be inducted into the Primary Care Mental Health
research team and will be attached to one of the major research
programmes. Fellows will have a chance to enhance their research
skills by completing modules of the stepped Certificate, Diploma or
MSc course programme. Completing an MSc during the ACF years will be
encouraged.
Our department is a stimulating place that has a keen interest in
nurturing future clinical academics. Short-listed candidates will be
invited to visit the department before interview to learn more about
the academic environment and the clinical training at the Royal Free.
Further details about the Department of PCPS can be found at
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/pcps/.
Further details about Academic Clinical Fellowships can be found at
http://www.nccrcd.nhs.uk/intetacatrain/iatacf
Further details about GP training in London can be found at:
http://www.londondeanery.ac.uk/general-practice. Specific
enquiries about the London ACF programme can be addressed to Dr Joe
Rosenthal: j.rosenthal@pcps.ucl.ac.uk
Eastern Deanery (2 posts)
The Eastern Deanery and the General Practice & Primary Care
Research Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge,
are delighted to jointly offer two academic GP registrar training
posts, to start in August 2007.
Applications are invited for the 4 year vocational
training scheme (VTS) which will be fully integrated into the highly
regarded Cambridge VTS programme. Training will be based in the
associated primary and secondary care trusts, with learning
opportunities across the Eastern Region R&D infrastructure. Applicants
must have submitted an application during the current recruitment
round for GP training in order to be eligible for the Walport
interviews, and need to pass the relevant Stage 3 assessments.
The programme will start with six months of general
practice, then EITHER one year of hospital-based training; one year of
half-time general practice and half-time in two community posts (e.g.
paediatrics, elderly medicine, palliative care, genitourinary
medicine, mental health) OR eighteen months of hospital-based training
and six months of general practice. Both rotations will end with
eighteen months spent three days a week in the academic environment,
and the remaining time in general practice. An academic strand will be
maintained across the whole four-year period tailored to the
post-holder's needs.
The successful applicants will be provided with
individual, flexible, needs-based and tailored academic training to
develop knowledge, understanding and skills in research methods and
medical education. The academic attachment will include experiential
learning about primary care research and medical education leading to
journal publication. It will support a successful application for a
competitive externally funded training fellowship (e.g. Department of
Health, MRC). They will also undergo clinical training leading to
successful nMRCGP examination and PMETB CCT certification, with a
focus on the generalist clinical knowledge base and special skills in
the area of research interest. At the completion of the training, the
post-holder can expect to possess the values and attitudes appropriate
to good patient care, clinical and academic competence and the skills
required for effective practice management.
Further information
http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/gppcru/AcademicGPTrainingPosts.htm
Specific enquiries about the Cambridge scheme can
be addressed to:
Dr Fiona Walter:
fmw22@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Oxford Deanery (2 posts)
An academic training scheme for general practice has been
operational in Oxford since 2002. The Oxford Deanery, in collaboration
with the Oxford University Department of Primary Health Care,
anticipates appointing two Clinical Academic Fellows in 2007.
Clinical Academic Fellows spend 4 rather than 3
years in vocational training. Clinical Academic Fellows will undertake
the standard hospital-based clinical training in common with other GP
vocational trainees during the first 2 years. In years 3 and 4,
trainees are attached to a University-linked general practice for
clinical training and spend 40% of their time in year 3 and 60% in
year 4 undertaking teaching and research training at the University.
The balance between hospital based and general practice based clinical
training is evolving over time and may change during the duration of
the Fellowship.
We will agree with you a personalised academic
training plan based on your individual needs and you will become part
of a national cohort of clinical academic trainees. However, you
should be aware that at present hospital staffing levels sometimes
make it difficult to take study leave and/or change clinical rotas for
academic training in the first two years.
During the last two years you will be expected to
take part in a research project leading to journal publication. This
research must be in an area in which the University Department has
existing expertise and can provide supervision. In some research areas
there is likely to be an opportunity for trainees to spend short
periods of time overseas.
We are particularly keen to admit strong applicants
with an interest in research but we also anticipate admitting
candidates with a primary interest in medical education
By the completion of your 4 year training we expect
you to achieve accreditation as a clinical specialist in general
practice and Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners.
You will at this stage have the option of returning to a clinical
career track but most previous trainees have applied successfully for
higher academic training awards (to allow completion of a D Phil or MD
degree) or junior Lecturer posts.
Further details about the University Department can
be found at
http://www.primarycare.ox.ac.uk. We
like to believe that it is both a stimulating and friendly place to
work. Short-listed candidates will be invited to contact current
academic trainees by phone or e-mail in the week before interview to
hear about their experiences and views on the strengths and weaknesses
of the academic rotation. One of the trainees will also be present at
the interviews.
Enquiries should be addressed to
ryan.giannone@dphpc.ox.ac.uk
North-West Deanery (2 posts)
The North Western Deanery in conjunction with the
Manchester Medical School have been awarded 2 national Clinical
Academic Fellows in General Practice.
We will appoint one Fellow in Medical Education and
one in Research.
The successful applicants will be supported and
encouraged to undertake a Masters Degree in either Medical Education
or Research and supported to develop the necessary skills to embark on
a higher (PhD) Degree in the future as well as being fully
vocationally trained with a CCT in Primary Care.
The training will be based in the Manchester
PCT and the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation
Trust and will be linked throughout the 4 years to
experienced training practices with academic links in education &
research respectively.
The programme will be 1 year of hospital based
training, 1 year of an innovative split training (40% in hospital 40%
in the training practice and 20% in the Academic Unit). The final 2
years will be as a GP Registrar with 50% attachment to the Academic
Unit to complete the Masters Degree.
There will be strong links to the National Primary
Care Centre for Research & Development for the research post and to
the Department of the Professor of Community Based Medical Education
for the education post. The Manchester Medical School has 3 Chairs in
Medical Education, a 24/24 rating and a strong track record in Medical
Education Research. The national research centre has a 5 star rating
and an extensive PhD programme. Terms and conditions will be as for a
full GP VTS scheme but for 4 years.
These new posts present an exciting and innovative
opportunity to combine an extra training year with a foundation for
future academic work in education or research.
For further details contact
Valerie.Wass@manchester.ac.uk
Severn and Wessex Deanery
Bristol (1 post)
The Academic Unit of Primary Health Care in the University
of Bristol, in association with the Severn Institute GP training
scheme, has been awarded a ‘Walport’ Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF)
programe in general practice (see http://www.nccrcd.nhs.uk/url for
more information on this scheme). Applicants to the current round for
GP training commencing August 2007 who would like to pursue an
academic career attached to a very successful academic department are
invited to apply for this fellowship.
This programme will provide a two phase, four year
training programme for a doctor wishing to pursue a career in academic
general practice:
Hospital phase: two years in hospital posts (4x6
month posts in appropriate specialties)
Academic GP registrar phase: two years of
integrated academic general practice, with time divided equally
between academic work in the Academic Unit of Primary Health Care,
University of Bristol, and training as a GP registrar in a local
practice which is recognised for undergraduate teaching, accredited
for vocational training and is highly research-active.
The objectives of this training programme are to
provide:
(i) an excellent foundation training in research
methods
(ii) experience of conducting a specific research
project
(iii) support for a trainee with outstanding
potential in making an application for an externally funded research
training fellowship (RTF) eg MRC, Wellcome, NHS R&D to follow on from
this post
(iv) a limited exposure to and experience of
undergraduate teaching
(v) high quality and comprehensive vocational
training for general practice, leading to successful achievement of
the MRCGP qualification, as well as formal accreditation on completion
of training
(vi) a stimulating intellectual environment and inspiring
role models, to introduce GPRs to the opportunities, challenges and
excitement of an academic career.
Our unit conducts high quality research addressing
questions of priority to the NHS. Much research relates to important
clinical areas such as cancer, sexual health and mental health, or
wider questions of great importance for health policy, for example
into patient decision making and organisation of care.The Unit
contributed to the 5* rating achieved by Community Based Clinical
Subjects in Bristol in the 2001 RAE. We are one of the 5 founding
departments of the NIHR School for Primary Care Research. The Unit has
an excellent track-record of obtaining externally funded research
fellowships.
The Severn Institute postgraduate GP Directorate
has been in the vanguard of innovation within UK GP training. The
Bristol VTS is the most popular and entry requirements are the highest
within the deanery. For several years, all exiting doctors have taken
and passed the MRCGP with numerous merits and distinctions. The
teaching is particularly strong with emphasis on the skills required
to give the highest care within inner city populations. The vast
majority of those completing the scheme continue to work within the
immediate vicinity and join practices that are active in teaching and
research.
You will have an academic GP mentor whom you will
meet regularly during the two year hospital phase and who will oversee
your academic progress throughout the 4 year training programme. At
the start of year 3, you will be encouraged to choose a research topic
on which you can build a later fellowship application. In addition to
regular supervisions with the academic mentor, you will undertake
structured research training covering all aspects of designing and
conducting a research study, building on the very successful programme
already established in the Department of Social Medicine in Bristol.
Your GP trainer will supervise your work in the
practice and provide formal 2 hour tutorials every fortnight. Every
three months in years 3 and 4, there will be a joint meeting with your
GP trainer and academic supervisor. The Severn Institute will pilot
the nMRCGP from August 2006 in readiness for its implementation in
August 2007. This will inform progress on the successful acquisition
of clinical competence.. In addition we will hold occasional UK wide
meetings for GP ACFs hosted by each of the involved academic
departments.
At the end of the 4 years we hope that you will
have passed your nMRCGP, got your CCT and have been successful in
obtaining an externally funded RTF which will allow you to study for a
PhD/MD.
For more information please look at our website (www.bris.ac.uk/primaryhealthcare)
or contact Professor Debbie Sharp (debbie.sharp@bris.ac.uk)
or Dr Andy Hall
(andy.hall@sevwesdeanery.nhs.uk)
Severn and Wessex Deanery
Southampton (1 post)
The Primary Medical Care Group at the University of Southampton School
of Medicine, in association with the Wessex Institute GP training
scheme, are offering a four year training programme including two
years in hospital posts and two years of integrated academic general
practice, with time divided equally between academic work in the
department and clinical training in a practice in the Wessex region.
The objectives are for the trainee:
- To undertake the equivalent of three years full-time specialty
training for General Practice, in accredited hospital posts and a
research active training practice, to meet the requirements of a CCT
in General Practice of the Postgraduate Medical Education and
Training Board.
- To undertake generic research methods training through a
programme run by the School of Medicine’s Postgraduate School.
- To conduct a systematic literature review, or a
pilot/exploratory research project, to help inform and develop a
proposal for an externally funded research training fellowship.
- To identify their specific learning needs in relation to their
proposed research project/systematic review, and undertake relevant
training courses in Southampton or elsewhere as appropriate.
- To submit applications for research training fellowships in
national competition (from the MRC, Department of Health, Wellcome
Trust, or other research charity).
The trainee will be placed on the Severn and Wessex Deanery GP
training scheme and their clinical GP training will take place in a
research active practice local to the School of Medicine. The clinical
training will be supervised by an experienced trainer identified by
the Associate Director of Postgraduate GP Education for Southampton,
Dr Johnny Lyon-Maris. The academic supervisor will be a senior
lecturer, reader, or professor in the University of Southampton
Primary Medical Care (PMC) Group. The trainee will be exposed to the
practical aspects of conducting research, through attending research
project meetings for ongoing studies being run by the PMC group. They
will also attend weekly PMC research seminars, and monthly seminars
run by the Treatment Decisions Group of the Division of Community
Clinical Sciences (CCS). They will undertake generic research methods
training by joining PhD and DM students for the relevant seminars
offered within the established annual programme run by the School of
Medicine’s Postgraduate School. They will also undertake training
courses appropriate to their specific learning needs, in Southampton
or elsewhere. For example, for trainees undertaking quantitative
research, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine provides
very high quality courses in Epidemiology and Statistics. Similarly,
qualitative research training may be provided within Southampton by
the ESRC National Research Methods Centre, or externally by the
University of Surrey, for example.
Funding for research expenses and the costs of external research
methods training courses will be provided by the PMC Group. In-house
mentorship will be provided by a second senior academic GP within the
PMC Group, who can provide support, advice and guidance independently
of the trainee’s supervisor. In addition to the in-house mentoring,
the trainees will be encouraged to attend regular national meetings
and courses for academic GP trainees from other accredited departments
around the country, to provide peer support and take advantage of the
pooled expertise of senior academic colleagues from all the accredited
training schemes.
The PMC Group includes eight senior academics (two professors, one
reader, five senior lecturers, and a Director of Education) of whom
six are HEFCE funded, and around 45 research, administrative,
clerical, and IT support staff. The Group runs around 10-15
community-based clinical trials and other studies at any one time,
with annual grant income of around £1.5m, and has made internationally
recognised contributions in the fields of the management of common
conditions with huge public health impact, especially acute
infections, and mental health problems in primary care. Primary care
research at Southampton was cited as being of ‘high national and
international quality’ in written feedback from the 2001 RAE panel.
The trainees would be joining three PhD students funded by the MRC
(two research training fellowships and one studentship), three funded
by the DH (one RDA holder and two CAM studentships), and four research
training fellows funded through our existing block contract with the
NCCRCD to develop research capacity. So far 14 fellows have been
funded through this contract in the last seven years. Three PhDs, 1
DM, and 4 MScs (2 with Distinction) have been awarded since then, and
a further 4 PhDs and 2 MScs are in progress. The 14 fellows have
published 36 peer-reviewed papers, 2 Cochrane reviews and 13 review
articles. Four have gone on to win training fellowships in open
national competition: two from the Department of Health, and two from
the MRC. Two others are now senior lecturers in other medical schools.
The group has also demonstrated its ability to win post-doctoral
fellowships (one DH primary care PD award, two DH CAM PD awards, and
Paul Little’s MRC Clinician Scientist award), and so is able to
provide ongoing opportunities for trainees finishing their research
training fellowships.
For more information please contact Professor Tony Kendrick – (A.R.Kendrick@soton.ac.uk)
West Midland Deanery (1 post)
The first national Fellowships were awarded in 2006 but an
integrated academic vocational training scheme for general practice
has been operational in Keele since 2002. The academic component of
the VTS at Keele is now delivered entirely through the Masters in
Medical Science. Nine GPs have completed an extended academic
programme to date, each of whom have undertaken structured research
training and a supervised project, completing a higher degree and
MRCGP, and publishing their research in peer review journals. Two have
gained national Research Fellowships in open competition, and eight
have gained joint clinical academic GP posts locally.
The aim of the current clinical academic fellowship
is to build on this track record of developing academic career
pathways for GPs. We have one post available for October 2007.
Academic trainees spend 4 rather than 3 years in vocational training.
Currently the first 2 years involve standard hospital training with
study leave. In years 3 and 4, trainees are attached to a
University-linked general practice for clinical training and spend 40%
of their time in year 1 and 60% in year 2 undertaking research
training at the University. More details about the University Research
Centre can be found at
www.keele.ac.uk/research/pchs The
balance between hospital based and general practice based clinical
training is evolving over time and may change during the duration of
the Fellowship.
All applicants must meet the national person
specification for specialist training in general practice. We are
particularly keen to admit strong applicants with an interest in
research, and can offer a strong grounding in clinical epidemiology,
but we also anticipate admitting candidates whose primary interest is
in medical education.
You will undertake an integrated clinical and
academic training, with study leave and associated funding configured
to support participation in our modular Master’s programme. We will
also agree with you a personalised research project and associated
training schedule based on your individual needs, with mentorship from
academics at Keele’s Primary Care Musculoskeletal Research Centre. You
will become part of a national cohort of academic trainees and will be
expected to participate in national meetings. During the last two
years you will be expected to take part in a research project leading
to journal publication. This research must be in an area in which the
University Department has existing expertise and can provide
supervision.
At the completion of your 4 year training we expect
you to have achieved accreditation as a clinical specialist in general
practice and Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners.
You will at this stage have the option of returning to a clinical
career track but previous trainees have also applied successfully for
higher academic training awards (to allow completion of a D Phil or MD
degree) or junior Lecturer posts.
Specific enquiries about the Keele scheme can be
addressed to
r.w.hughes@cphc.keele.ac.uk
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